Students in Bill Mohr's second-grade Grant School classroom experienced a bit of Thailand culture and learned a few things about the Peace Corps
Peace Corps stories stir kids' interest
By DEB CLEWORTH
Daily Tribune Staff
Students in Bill Mohr's second-grade Grant School classroom experienced a bit of Thailand culture and learned a few things about the Peace Corps Friday afternoon.
Mohr, who spent two years as a Peace Corps volunteer in Thailand from 1972 to 1974, shared stories to raise awareness about the organization, which celebrated its 43rd anniversary this week.
"Some people act as if the Peace Corps doesn't exist anymore," he said. Through presentations like Mohr's, volunteers hope to raise awareness of the organization in classrooms throughout the United States.
While in Thailand, Mohr taught at a teacher's training college.
"I was teaching English to 18-, 19- and 20-year-olds," he said.
During Friday's presentation, Mohr shared slides taken during his service and spoke of the differences and similarities between his class and classes in other continents.
"The one thing you need to do is be able to accept kids that look a little different and dress a little differently," Mohr said.
Students were shocked when Mohr revealed: "Kids in Thailand never see snow."
Even before the presentation, students studied Thai culture.
"They have really different types of money, because they have a king and we don't," said Lindsey Keith, 8.
In January, Mohr's students learned some Thai words and explored the different style of Thai writing.
Before Mohr left for Thailand, his mother thought he should meet someone from the country to become familiar with the culture.
So, his mother invited a native of Thailand named Walaiporn to dinner - and Mohr married her in 1991.
They were married in the United States, and they later had a traditional ceremony in Thailand. During his Friday presentation, Mohr showed his students a "pâsin," a traditional Thai dress his wife wore during their wedding.
"It was very important in Thailand that my wife had a pâsin," he said as Carley Anunson, 8, struggled to try the garment on. "It was tradition." He explained the garment still might be seen in Wisconsin, worn by older Hmong women.
The boys also tried on a "pâkama," a skirt-like garment worn by men in their homes, and they tried to tie them in the traditional way Mohr showed them.
Mohr said he hoped the presentation would expand the students' views of the world.
"So they get a more global approach," he said. "That children are children everywhere."
Mohr, 56, has been a teacher in the Wisconsin Rapids School District for about 25 years. He and his wife, Walaiporn, 50, who goes by the nickname "Noi" (which means small), live in Wisconsin Rapids with their children, Rika, 6, and Karenna, 4.
